


Looking Forwards, Looking Back

by Asmicarus



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Grandchildren, Growing Up, M/M, Nostalgia, Reflection, happy ending!, very brief mention of suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-22 23:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9629597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asmicarus/pseuds/Asmicarus
Summary: Hiroko Katsuki reflects on the life of her son when she finds an old photo album of various pictures of her son growing up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> More late night ramblings! More spelling errors, grammar mistakes and misery! XD Seriously though, I love Hiroko Katsuki and think she is a great mum.   
> Feel freee to point out any grammar or spelling errors or just say hello!  
> There is also a mention of Viktor and Yuuri's baby, depict that as you wish, adoption or mpreg, whatever floats your boat!  
> No characters are mine.  
> Feel free to find me on Tumblr under the name Asmicarus and have a chat! I don't bite!  
> Enjoy! :D

It was getting late, and Hiroko really needed to sit down in her armchair. R   unning the onsen was getting more and more challenging these days, and her daughter, Mari, was taking on more and more responsibility. In her old age her back was going, and she frequented the chiropractor down the road to sort out her aches and pains. Today had been a particularly busy day. The winter always brought a wealth of customers who wanted to enjoy the hot springs, and Hiroko had been hustling and bustling to and fro getting drinks, meals, towels and all sorts. It had just gone eleven o’clock and her husband had taken over hotel duties for the night. Hiroko slumped down in her armchair, a hot cup of tea in hand, ready for a night of relaxation just to herself. She was just beginning to drift off to a peaceful sleep when she heard the door slide open.

 

Mari stumbled into the room carrying a heavy looking box.

“Sorry, mum. Just need to clear these out the guest room for Viktor, Yuuri and Artem visiting tomorrow, remember?” Hiroko perked up at that. Ever since her son had moved to Moscow with his husband and child she was always happy to see him when he visited. She thought she would have remembered him mentioning he would be visiting, she supposed that was another repercussion of her getting older. Well, that was a nice surprise. Mari set the box down next to her feet before kissing her forehead and leaving the room. Hiroko felt more awake than asleep now, and knew she would be awake for the next few hours. She looked towards the box that Mari had placed by her feet, it seemed to only contain a few bits and bobs from Yuuri’s old bedroom, but a book placed on the very top of the box caught her eye.

 

She leaned down to pick it up. It was a thick book that she quickly recognized as a photo album she had begun making to remember Yuuri’s childhood, but she hadn’t seen it in since her son got married. She opened the thick album and ran her fingers gently over the photo paper. The first picture was one of a young Yuuri and Mari by a paddling pool. Mari had her arm thrown around her brother’s shoulders. Hiroko smiled when she saw Mari’s long hair, it had been so pretty before she cut it all off when she dropped out of school. Yuuri was smiling at the camera, armbands almost by his neck. Hiroko remembered that day so well. It had been wonderful.

 

_Yuuri was nervous about getting in the paddling pool, afraid that his feet couldn’t touch the bottom. He couldn’t swim yet. It was a blazing hot summer’s day and Toshiya had tried to encourage Yuuri to get in the pool with his sister to cool off, but Yuuri was having none of it._

_“Come on Yuuri, it’s not that deep.” Toshiya tugged gently at Yuuri’s hand and the little boy desperately tried to pull it free._

_“No, dad! No!” Yuuri began to cry and Hiroko lifted herself out the pool to take her son into her arms._

Gosh, she was so slim back then, she thought.

_Yuuri continued to cry for the next few minutes until an ice cream was enough to do the trick to calm him down. It was later in the afternoon when the sun was nigh unbearable and blazing hot, but Yuuri was stubborn even as a child, he was adamant he wouldn’t be getting in the pool. Mari ran outside and jumped right in. She splashed and played with her father and they laughed and smiled. Yuuri stood at the side of the paddling pool and watched on. Hiroko smiled to herself. Whenever Yuuri was searching for something his eyes sparkled and lit up, he wanted to play with them, but was too frightened._

_Mari jumped out the pool and held her brother’s hand._

_“Come on, Yuuri! Come and play with me!” Yuuri’s eyes went wide and he shook his head vehemently._

_“No! I’m scared!” Hiroko was about to stop Mari from prying, lest her brother start crying again, but Mari looked at him, concern on her features._

_“Don’t worry, Yuuri. I’ll hold your hand if you want. I can touch the bottom so I’ll hold onto you.” Yuuri looked at his sister, and very hesitantly stepped towards the water. Toshiya put an arm around his wife’s waist and watched in awe as Mari led Yuuri into the shallows and only a few minutes later they were splashing and playing and Yuuri was laughing up a storm. Toshiya pulled the camera out of his bag._

_“Smile you two!” The two children turned to the camera and smiled widely. That was one for the album._

 

Hiroko smiled to herself and set her tea down on the small table next to her, attention turned to the book. She flicked the page over to look at the next picture. It was a picture of Yuuri and a shining gold medal, Yuuko smiling next to him. It was his first ice skating competition, which he had won with flying colours. Yuuko’s mother, the ice skating coach had told her that her son had amazing talent and could go all the way to the world championships if he worked hard. Hiroko shifted in her seat and giggled. She had thought that Yuuri would marry Yuuko one day. Oh, how wrong she was! It was funny how these things played out. Just like how Yuuri went to one ice skating class and it seemed that all of a sudden he became world champion.

 

_“Yuuri! You did so well!” Yuuko embraced Yuuri tightly and the poor boy practically froze in the young girl’s arms. He was twelve, and had just started to acknowledge that girls existed. Poor awkward child. Yuuko’s mother shooed her daughter away from him._

_“Yuuko, give him his space. I’m sorry Hiroko.” Hiroko waved her off good- naturedly. They were only children, after all. The women turned their attention to Yuuri. He hugged his mother tightly and Hiroko almost lifted him from the ground._

_“Let me see your medal then!” He held his medal up for his mother to see, and in that moment, she was sure she’d burst with pride. Yuuri raced off to play with Yuuko and chat with the other children. She was really happy he had a friend in Yuuko, someone his own age he could play with and wasn’t too far away. Hasetsu was a close-knit town, everyone knew everyone, including the children._

_“I’m glad he’s found something he can focus on.”_

Hiroko took a sip of her tea and turned a few pages. There were all sorts of Yuuri in various outfits from competitions, Mari and her school awards, and some of the Nishigoris holding hands at the onsen’s new year’s party a while back. Hiroko smiled at all the happy memories until her gaze settled over a collage of pictures that spanned over the two-page spread. It was Mari in hospital smiling tiredly at the camera, Yuuri at her side looking worried and tired as well. Hiroko’s smile dropped off her face into a look of sad nostalgia. Mari had gone through a rough patch, as had Yuuri. Her son had taken a bad turn after Mari had attempted suicide in the second year before she left school. A group of girls at her school had bullied her and followed her home from school. They had taunted her and spat at her, and it all got too much. Yuuri had found her in the medicine cabinet trying to get the cap off Toshiya’s sleeping pills. She had been admitted to the psychiatric unit of the local hospital to recover. She dropped out soon after. Yuuri was there when she woke up.

 

_“Hey, little brother.” A small smile graced her face. Yuuri made an attempt to smile back, but it was clear by his red and puffy eyes he’d been crying._

_“Hey. How are you feeling?”_

_“Better. I’m a bit sleepy.”_

Hiroko had tried to block a lot out of her mind after that night. The thought that her baby girl almost left the earth was just too much to bear thinking about. It was after that incident she noticed a change in her son. He’d always been a bit of a nervous boy, a worrier, she had assumed he’d grow out of it, but after Mari’s attempt at suicide everything was blown out of proportion. He jumped at the slightest thing and picked his nails in crowded areas. He broke down and cried at almost every competition. This was not Hiroko’s son. This was a different person. A monster had crawled its way inside her son, and was eating him from the inside. Sometimes the monster would sleep, but it was still there, gnawing away at him. It made him miserable.

 

She was glad the monster had a leash now. It was still there, but under control, with a lot of help from other people, and lots and lots of different love and understanding kept it at bay.

 

Moving on. The next picture was one of Yuuri’s best friend, Phichit, when they both had come back from Detroit for the holidays. Hiroko liked Phichit very much. He brought some happiness to Yuuri’s life and make everyone in the onsen laugh. The picture showed him dressed in a brightly coloured outfit making a silly face in front of the baby Nishigori triplets, making the girls burst into laughter. That week was one of the happier ones spent in the time when Yuuri was anxious all the time. A few more followed pictures followed after that. A few of Yuuko’s pregnancy and wedding. The pregnancy had been a surprise and the young couple married a little time after. There were pictures of Toshiya’s parties, Yuuri’s competitions, Phichit’s selfies…

 

That was when then the photos of Viktor Nikiforov started showing up.

 

Hiroko had chosen some of her favourites to put in the album. Viktor and Yuuri at the Grand Prix final, them in Saint Petersburg on holiday, in Switzerland visiting Chris. All sorts.

 

_“Hi mum, hope the time difference isn’t keeping you up. I just thought I would call.” Hiroko yawned and sat up in bed. She went to bed early after watching the free skate, but was eager to talk to him._

_“Well, mister, I saw that kiss.” There was silence and stuttering on the other end of the line and Hiroko could practically see Yuuri turning redder every second. Hiroko chuckled good humoredly._

_“So?”_

_“So what?” Yuuri mumbled._

_“Are you and Viktor dating? When is he next coming over? Am I getting a son in law!?” Hiroko was practically radiating excitement when she’d seen Viktor kiss Yuuri on live TV. She had always said to Toshiya that Yuuri would find someone to take care of him, to love him in a way that his family couldn’t. She was overwhelmed that person was Viktor Nikiforov. The living legend himself._

_“Mum! No son in law… yet at least… but Viktor and I… we are… I mean…” Hiroko grinned and Toshiya snored beside her._

_“Oh, my boy. I am so proud of you. I love you, remember that.”_

_“I love you too. Goodnight.”_

 

 She flicked a few photos forward and the rings appeared on their fingers. The gold medal of the world championships around Yuuri’s neck, and then soon after, the wedding photo. Yuuri dressed in white and Viktor in charcoal grey. They were stood under an arch of flowers that still stood in the gardens of the onsen, looking lovingly into each other’s eyes, small smiles on their faces, so utterly in love. The day of that wedding was by far one of the happiest days of Hiroko’s life. Yuuri was happy, and if her Yuuri was happy, then so was she.

 

_It was time for the vows. The gathered guests looked on in anticipation. Hiroko and Toshiya sat in the front row with Mari and the Nishigori family. The triplets were flower girls. Yakov sat with them taking the role as Viktor’s father. Skaters from all over the world were gathered for the event, and a lot of the townspeople who knew their family personally. Viktor stood holding Yuuri’s hands, Christophe as his best man. Yuuri looked into Viktor’s eyes, Phichit snapping pictures behind him. Yurio stood as the ring bearer, trying (and failing) to keep a smile off his face. Viktor began to choke up as he recited his vows._

_“Yuuri, before I met you it was like I was seeing the world in black and white. When we met at the banquet my life burst into colour. I’ve laughed with you, I’ve cried with you, I fall more in love with you every single time I look at you. I have never met someone so beautiful in both looks and character. As we start this new stage of our lives together I want you to know that I love you more than anything. More than every gold medal in the world.” Yuuri was welling up, and Viktor smiled, breathing slightly quicker than usual, eyes soft and warm. Yuuri stiffened as he realized it was his turn to read his vows. A flash of anxiety made its way over his features, but Viktor squeezed his hands in reassurance._

_“Viktor, as we move on with our lives, I want to thank you for everything. For being there for me, for trusting me, for loving me. I just… I just love you so much.” It was short and sweet, but meant a thousand words._

That was that, they became the Nikiforovs officially. Her baby boy was a married man.  

 

They were coming up on their five-year anniversary soon. In that space of five years Phichit had begun putting himself on the dating scene, Christophe and his longtime partner had also married, and Yurio and Otabek had moved in together. Everyone was growing up so quickly. It seemed like yesterday Hiroko’s children were babies playing in that paddling pool.

 

She was nearing the end of the scrapbook now, only a few pages left. One of the last pictures in the book was a photo of a Viktor and Yuuri, except this time, Yuuri was carrying a small bundle in his arms. Artem made his appearance into their lives. The baby was adorable and Viktor and Yuuri made fantastic parents. Artem was a handful, and they had to get used to him at first. He was born blind, with permanent damage to his optic nerve, so it put Yuuri on edge that he would hurt himself in the house when he couldn’t see where he was going. Their entire house was baby proofed and Artem visited the doctor every few weeks. All in all, however, Artem was the happiest baby Hiroko had ever seen, he had the cutest laugh and smile she’d ever heard.

 

She fell asleep in the chair looking forward to seeing her grandson tomorrow.

 

 

The sun peeked through the window that Saturday morning, blaring into Hiroko’s eyes. She blinked herself awake and put on her glasses. The photo album still rested heavy in her lap and she stretched out the kinks in her back. Toshiya slid the door open and smiled fondly when he saw his wife. He kissed her forehead.

“You shouldn’t sleep in the chair, dear, it’s bad for your back. Viktor, Yuuri and Artem just arrived.” Hiroko immediately took her husband’s arm to stand and slowly made her way down the stairs, her knees also not quite what they once were. She entered the living room to see guests hustling and bustling and drinking and eating, but she spied Viktor’s fair head of hair a mile away. He waved to them, Yuuri bouncing the baby on his hip.

“Morning you two!” Hiroko hugged Viktor tightly, and he squeezed her with just as much enthusiasm. Yuuri gave her a half hug and a kiss on the cheek. She then turned to Artem, who’s eyes drifted slightly above her face and stuttered with a stigmatism.

“Good morning, Artem, it’s grandma!” Artem’s head whipped around to the voice he recognized and he smiled the biggest, gummiest smile he could muster.

 

The day flitted past, Viktor and Yuuri unpacking and spending the day with their family and friends. They would have a while before all the other skaters arrived for Yuuri’s birthday party later in the next three weeks. When they were settled, and had finished dinner Hiroko could see Artem begin to fidget. She leaped into action.

“Quick! Before he falls asleep.” Yuuri watched his mother frantically search for something around the staff room.

“What is it, mum?” Hiroko made a pleased noise as she found what she was looking for.

“My camera. I want to take a photo of us all.” Yuuri nodded, still a little surprised by his mother’s outburst, but was okay to comply.

 

They arranged themselves accordingly, the camera on a tripod, and made sure they were all in the shot.

“Ready? One, two, three.” Snap. Hiroko grinned at the picture.

“That’s one for the album.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
